DMN editorial praises SMU’s academic rise, increasing diversity

SMU received high praise for its increasing diversity and academic excellence in an editorial published in The Dallas Morning News’ Monday, Sept. 23, 2013 edition.

The paper describes the entering-class average SAT score of 1302 as “part of SMU’s sometimes-overlooked academic rise. The school also now has 96 endowed professorships, which represents about 13 percent of tenured faculty. Those 96 chairs are up from 62 endowed positions only five years ago.”

In the wake of the announcement of a new $1 billion goal for The Second Century Campaign, the opinion piece zeroes in on ways in which Dallas will benefit if SMU reaches its campaign targets – especially in the area of scholarships.

“Scholarship funds can be hard to secure, especially when contributors want to donate in such a way that they can put their name on a building. But scholarship funds are critical as SMU actively diversifies its enrollment,” the op-ed states. “The campus has been seen as an outpost of well-heeled, well-connected families. But the truth is, SMU’s enrollment today is 25 percent minority, up sharply from even a decade ago. Financial aid will let SMU keep broadening its reach.

“SMU wants to continue evolving into, as its motto proclaims, a school of world changers. Funds for scholarships can help make that a reality.”